Interesting to note this in the article:
While Pacific Star Network mostly operates the SEN sports stations, it also has a music station in Perth and it is believed it intends to operate 2CH as a music format for the forseeable future.
Am I missing something here? Do they mean 6EL?
I think we are a bit ahead of ourselves here in talking about change of formats. SEN chief executive Craig Hutchison has said it will be business as usual on 2CH for the foreseeable future. I also noticed something on Facebook from Trevor Sinclair saying there’ll be no change.
I had the same question what music station do they own in Perth? Or do they partially own a station?
Yes exactly, business as usual and just continue to lose money. 1593 is a long way up the dial, just who will find it, I have enough trouble finding 2SM.
Bill doesn’t like selling his stations, so that was unlikely to happen, especially since it provides content for his regional network. 2CH on the other hand was struggling under EON and allegedly losing them money. (Although EON bought it $5.56, so they’ve made nearly $8 million on the sale when you include the shares in Pacific Star that they’re getting).
More likely contracts about supplying their sports content to 2SM and 2UE.
Yes, they mean 6EL. That sale only completed at the start of May so still running music their is hardly proof that the format won’t change.
The following image from their ASX announcement is interesting. Only the SEN Track branding for NSW. While the omission of an SEN NSW logo suggests no change yet, they’ve also chosen not to include the 2CH logo.
No, 2CH as a music station playing classic hits will not be around long.
Sorry, but SEN are in the business of sport, not music.
I don’t like seeing staff lose jobs, but everyone has known it was on the market. Cherie and others can spin it anyway they want right now, the key word is “Foreseeable”. 2CH is down to around nine hours live M-F rest V/T. It’s bleeding money. It’s very sad to see another iconic AM call sign going (maybe 2CH-SEN transistion period).
It will be a networked station with local Sydney windows via a local satellite studio by the end of 2020.
Think on this: Why would you buy a frequency with no assets (facilities etc), losing money, no saleable ratings to maintain the format? Nope, they only need the frequency and the stick, for networked programming. That’s why they bought it.
Goodbye old girl.
Of course I could turn out to be completely wrong, but in the medium-long term future I think the temptation to have a SEN station on both AM and DAB+ in Sydney will far outweigh any desire to continue operating a music station which these days only really rates well with the 65+ demographic despite numerous attempts to modernise the playlist in recent years. At the very least, it’d be surprising if SENTrack and some form of SEN main station didn’t eventually make it to Sydney DAB+.
Also for what it’s worth, the Twitter handle of the official 2CH Twitter account (which was previously @2ch1170) has changed to @sen1170 although the Classic Hits 2CH name/branding remains. Make of that what you will.
Yeah, I agree with both these points. As the current contracts with 2SM and 2UE expire, I’d probably expect to see (or more to the point, hear) all SEN/CrocMedia sports coverage move over to their own stations for the Sydney market.
SEN Q for Queensland? Interesting brand choice there
If they want to just ditch the format - why not just go to Nine and make a deal to swap 2CH for 2UE? 2CH would give Nine the foot in the door for their music network, and if Nine took on the 2CH staff, SEN wouldn’t need to work out how to manage transitioning that team to a sport format.
Nine would probably want more $$$ for 2UE.
They might also be concerned that the 2UE brand has value particularly as a talkback station and think a rival (not necessarily SEN) might one day relaunch 2UE as a talk station… that’d be harder to do with 2CH.
They could always keep Classic “Hits” and have it sports related 
But seriously, I agree. As if they’ll retain 2CH as a pure music station.
Before you know it, Bob Rogers’ Reminiscing will be chopped and changed to make way for AFL Nation coverage.
Classic hits and sport? My 98 year grandma will not be happy.
2UE is wholly owned by Nine Entertainment Corp, no association with 2CH. There is no ‘team’ to transition, 2CH literally has about 6 staff total. 2CH was owned by EON broadcasting which is 97% owned by Oceania Capital Partners who are equity buyers/investors. Whatever price 2CH was actually sold for in cash/shares, 97% goes to OCP, they did the deal as majority owners. Equity buyers buy low and sell for higher. That’s exactly what occurred here, a business transaction, formats are irrelevant.
SEN have purchased a music formatted station - there’s brand value for 2CH as a music station that’s worthless to them if they are trying to build a sports talk station. That name recognition and existing audience share could potentially be worth something to Nine.
PSN/Crocmedia/SEN don’t care about brand value music stations.
Remember what has happened to 3MP/SEN+? An absolute waste of a license.
I’ve missed a memo somewhere, since when does SEN own 1053 in Brisbane?
The other comment I’d make is that for a supposedly struggling station the owners of 2CH made a very tidy profit with this sale.
There’s no way 2CH will remain music for long. Remember 3MP.
Is that a commercial licence or HPON?
Commercial.
when did Perth gain an extra commercial licence?
